Data security ‘still a low priority for many CIOs’
A survey of chief information officers across the UK and Europe found that less than half saw security as an investment priority.
A survey of chief information officers across the UK and Europe found that less than half saw security as an investment priority.
More than half of chief information officers (CIOs) or chief digital information officers (CDOs) in the UK and Europe do not plan to invest in security even as they continue to digitise their operations, according to a survey from The Network Group Events.
The data comes from a survey of just over 100 CIOs and chief information security officers (CISOs) – the majority from FTSE 250 companies – at the Digital Transformation Network event, which found that only 44% of CIOs saw security as a priority. The results show a disparity between CIOs/CDOs and their colleagues in information security, 75% of whom planned to invest in data security and integrity.
Instead, a ‘Cloud First’ approach stood as the most important priority for IT experts, with 73% planning to invest in cloud systems over the next 12 months.
CIOs and CDOs also saw improving their mobile presence as a key objective, with 61% saying they would be investing in the area while 59% also saw using digital to harness customer data through business intelligence and analytics as their priority. The same number also said they would prioritise improving their customer experience through digital.
“More and more businesses are seeing the digitisation of their business model as the next step,” said Jake Summerfield, managing director, The Network Group Events.
“In particular, the Cloud is a clear priority for CIOs and CDOs, with our data showing nearly a half of IT experts taking a ‘Cloud First’ approach and investing in this technology.
“However, whilst digital brings opportunities to create a competitive advantage or target a different audience to seize a greater market share, it also creates challenges that experts will need to address.
“With cyber-attacks on the rise it is particularly concerning to see less than half of IT experts planning to invest in security. The move to digital creates a range of security threats that CIOs must address, and it is vital that they work closely with their information security colleagues to ensure that the digitisation of their business does not leave them open to a potentially catastrophic attack.”